Screen Scenes With Perfect Music

[Benji]

What are your favourite pieces of non-original music that have been used in TV and Movies along with a particular scene?

My main one is the obvious "How To Save a Life" by The Fray, used in Scrubs when Dr Cox loses three patients. The other is slightly odder, it's "Prelude 12/21" by AFI in Smallville when Lex is walking through 33.1 subjects in the underground holding area, it really emphasises Lex's path to the 'dark side' as well as the fact he's no longer concerned with helping protect people with his experiments, but rather is preparing for an all-out war.

[Cactus Drags]

Bah, I was going to say the Scrubs/Fray thing, that was spot on.

The first thing that comes to mind isn't a specific scene, but the marriage of the Friday Night Lights film and tv series with the work of Explosions in the Sky is beautiful.

[GoGo Yubari]

"Thru and Thru" by the Rolling Stones in the Sopranos Season Two finale over the montage of Meadow's graduation party and the various businesses that Tony's mob had their hands in over the course of the season.

Also, pretty much all of The Wire's season-ending montages have had brilliant music (I haven't heard season five's yet, presumably I'll be able to answer for that by the end of next week); it's basically the one time they ever use music without a direct source for the music to be playing and they nail it every time. In particular, "Step by Step" by Jesse Winchester for season one, "I Feel Alright" by Steve Earle for season two, and "I Walk on Gilded Splinters" by Paul Weller for season four.

Edited August 5, 2008 by GoGo Yubari

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

The Vanilla Sky ending: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=AnOU3ubbYXU

Sunshine - Mercury: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=aYKq1qfdmWk

Sunshine - Finale: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=QQb3Fx8KydQ

Also Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind when they're back at the place they met in his memory and enjoying that moment all over again at the beach. I want to cry at that point. Everything in the scene is perfect.

And screw it, the LACK of music in this scene of Amelie is mindblowing: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=xzvEn4QX9pw Any music would have ruined it utterly.

The Trainspotting intro: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=T3g9nTOV9KM

As an Englishman I felt bloody proud that this movie was British and instantly stood up above ANYTHING else in it's intro so to be Scottish and sitting watching the movie for the first time must have been immense.

Also, the Fight Scene from Snatch: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=h2SqUEvtVyI

[Enter Blue Guy]

Longer than a single scene, but from the Sopranos, the first episode of season 3. I don't know the name of the instrumental piece, but it plays when they are trying to plant the bug in Tony's basement. Then it cuts in to "Every Breath You Take" when they show Tony in the car. The whole time you are rooting pretty hard for Tony to come home before they set up the bug. EDIT: Ok, so the song is called Peter Gunn Theme by Henry Mancini... I thought some dude name Peter Gunn wrote it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGOoyI6vTNQ That's the song, not the scene.

Set to the actual scenes, it's freaking amazing. One of my favorite Sopranos episodes. Soprano's always rocks the key music at the right times.

Edited August 5, 2008 by Enter Blue Guy

[Summers]

Refused - New Noise in Crank.

Awesomely done.

[Pepsi]

I have a soft spot for the end of Swingers when they are swing dancing. The music and the scene are just the perfect moment.

[IAceI]

One Tree Hill Series 1, Episode 1

Lucas and Nathan have their one on one basketball showdown. And just as it starts, so does "What It Is To Burn" by Finch comes in. It sounds great, and I think if anything its the fact a show went and put something like Finch on in a popular teen drama made it even greater.

[livid]

The burning of Mickey's caravan in Snatch to Massive Attack's "Angel" is just awesome.

And at the beginning of The Departed when "Gimme Shelter" by the Rolling Stones and Nicholson is doing his monologue.

[Cactus Drags]

That OC finale with Imogen Heap. Never seen the show, don't have a clue what's going on, but it fits well. And the meme was (briefly) amusing.

That mention of New Noise reminded me of it's being used during the last game of Friday Night Lights. It's ace as it's so jarring against all the previous music (largely Explosions in the Sky), but it works as that game means so much more than the others, it's more intense and mental.

[Huss Delgado]

This far without Layla in Goodfellas?

For shame.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAvgCloTNI0

[Johnny Latino Heat]

I think one of the last episodes of Seinfeld, the ones that recapped the whole series, and in the end they played a "reminiscence" sort of video with Green Day's "Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)" playing. That was my first exposition to that song and loved it right away.

[Enter Blue Guy]

This far without Layla in Goodfellas?

For shame.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAvgCloTNI0

In my defense, I was coming to post that. I swear.

The music in Goodfellas is spot on through the whole thing.

The scenes from the nonstop mad dash around town, with the guns, the cooking, and the helicopter and shit. The whole thing has to be like 10-15 minutes, all with different songs mashed into it. My favorite specific part is when Henry is driving, looking for the helicopter, all coked out and paranoid, paying no attention to the road, the lyrics "I want it, I want it, I want it..." from Magic Bus are in the background, and he almost hits the car stopped in front of him. It's all classic, that just sticks out as my favorite bit.

[Pepsi]

Can't believe I forgot this;

The series finale of "Six Feet Under" with the flash forwards set to Breathe Me by Sia. One of the most emotional 4 minutes ever on TV. I was a huge Six Feet Under fan and I just remember crying like crazy.

[Toe]

"Push It To The Limit" montage in Scarface. I am not a fan of the movie, but he gets his freakin' tiger!

"Fortunate Sun" at the end of Live Free Or Die Hard.

[Synjynpsychobitch]

Shaun of the Dead, the scene with the Queen song "Don't Stop Me Now" and them bashing the zombie.

[LexChaney]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZULeq9u25Hk

"Precious" by Depeche Mode in Smallville when Braniac (James Marsters) appears from out of the spaceship that Lex has in Luthorcorp. Its an awesome scene, one that I watch every couple of weeks.

[Synjynpsychobitch]

I thought of another. Christian Bale axe'n his friend while "Hip to be Square" is playing. Wonderful!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfr9xeA7nCc

[Vendetta]

"Stuck in the Middle with You" Reservoir Dogs...thank you and good night.

[Tarheels.]

Scrubs has a LOT of those moments. One in particular to me is when the Janitor walks off and "Boston" by Augustana plays. I don't remember much of the story from that episode because I haven't seen it in a long time but it's a great moment.

Almost Famous for Tiny Dancer.

"Mad World" in Donnie Darko.

"Let Go" in Garden State

There's lots more too, but I honestly can't think of them at this moment.